Salad Dressing....help!

light or fat free raspberry vinaigrette

Here is a recipe!

3 cups of green leaf or romaine
1 cup spinach
1 1/2 cups of strawberries or about 5 strawberries
1/3 cup blueberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds (optional)
4 oz boiled chicken
2 TBS of the dressing

Do you use the kind that you make in the packet or the kind from the bottle?

Someone had recently suggested diluted ones dressing of choice with water. I haven't tried it but I think I will.

What about using one of the spray salad dressings in addition to the ranch (in order to use less ranch)?

Vinegarets are nice tasting dressing and you can make your own if you get the kits with seasoning packets- they come with the carfare and seasoning you add olive oil, vinegar, and water . I use just vinegar on my salads now. I liked french, and poppy seed personally but I don't use it much. Can't help you on brands either.

I've been making salads with the Kraft Poppyseed dressing lately. It tastes great with salads that have fruit in them!

Trader Joe's Champagne Pear Vinaigrette

Old Cape Cod Fat free Balsamic Vinaigrette (amazing stuff. i adore it)

I have recently been using salsa as a salad dressing. My husband makes me a bunch of homemade salsa at the beginning of the week, and I use it all week long....it doesn't have the MSG store bought ones do.......and it gets me extra veggies!

http://www.tasteofhome.com/Recipes/Strawberry-Vinaigrette

Prep/Total Time: 10 min. Yield: 20 Servings

Ingredients
•1 package (16 ounces) frozen unsweetened strawberries, thawed
•6 tablespoons lemon juice
•1/4 cup sugar
•2 tablespoons cider vinegar
•2 tablespoons olive oil
•1/8 teaspoon poppy seeds

Directions
•Place the strawberries in a blender; cover and process until pureed. Add lemon juice and sugar; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add vinegar and oil in a steady stream; process until thickened. Stir in poppy seeds. Transfer to a large bowl or jar; cover and store in the refrigerator. Yield: 2-1/2 cups.



I substituted some balsamic vinegar and reduced the lemon juice to 3 tablespoons and did not add poppy seeds as I didnt have any. Lasts about a week in the fridge. Tart and sweet and tangy over a salad of romaine leaf lettuce, fresh spinach, sliced strawberries and sliced almonds.

When I put this dressing recipe into MFP recipe creator using regular sugar, for 20 servings: 29 calories per serving!!!! Using a sugar substitute like Stevia drops it down to a whopping 20 calories per serving!!!

Greek yogurt and hidden valley ranch seasoning pack. Not sure if it tastes exactly the same, but way lower calories.

I too absolutely love Hidden Valley Ranch... I have tried the light and low fat versions, but also noticed those carry more sugar and sodium content than the Original, so for me, the extra calories and fat seem like an okay trade. I have tried using the dressing mix and making my own using low fat mayo and skim milk, and that isn't so bad.. but sometimes I just dilute the 2 Tbsp version with a little bit of skim milk. It helps keep the creamy consistency, and if it needs that little extra 'kick' of flavor, I may sprinkle a pinch of the dry mix back in.

Haven't found any bottled dressing I like other than Ranch so just worked the calories into my daily intake. However, I have switched to putting cottage cheese on top of my salads and find that very filling, but cc has a lot of sodium. However, cc give me a wider variety of things I can put in my salads, like grapes, apples, raisins, that just didn't go well with Ranch.

Good luck!!!

Have you tried the lighter version by the same manufacturer? Honestly, 2tbsp of full fat dressing is fine, as long as you're staying in your calorie goals for the day.

Maybe this is just me, but low fat/fat free dressings seem so full of chemicals.

I say you are doing just fine with the normal Ranch!

I would recommend Bolthouse Farms Classic Ranch Yogurt Dressing. It's only 45 calories for a 2 Tbsp serving. I also really like their Honey Mustard Yogurt Dressing - it's also 45 calories per serving, but has less sodium.

I just use balsamic vinegar with a bit of olive oil ( sometimes I skip the olive oil ) but I love vinegar so it might not be for everyone lol

1)
I love Ken's steakhouse light blue cheese which is still a splurge for me other light blue cheese are lighter, and none of them are as "clean" as I'd like, but once in a while.

2)
I never measure, but I make a viniagrette with Orange juice, Olive oil and ginger and a splash of lime if you have it.
oh, yum really refreshing. I love it on a green salad with seafood and some avocado.

If you put the OJ in a food processor and add the EVOO s l o w l y sometimes you can get it to emulsify, so that it doesn't separate. But I don't have the technique down so it's hit or miss when I try.

3)
Also plain yogurt with mustard, dill and a thin it with milk until you get a good consistency. (If you;re using dried dill, make it ahead of time so it reconstitutes)

4)
EVOO, White vinegar, Soy sauce, ginger, garlic, pepper, paprika.

the wishbone spritzers are great! Doesn't hurt to try!